First of all I’m going to apologise for this report as I doubt it will be up to my usual standard plus its quite long as I found this tri to be very disappointing Oh and it was being carried out under BTA rules! Hmmmm Yea right!

I was apprehensive before the start as the waves were a good 3 foot and clean breaking out back beyond the break water.

Team MBH consisted of Johno G, Jason W, Mr Brooks and myself the man mountain Mr brooks gave me a few pointers about swimming in the surf which I thank him for although I didn’t need them, you’ll see!

This tri starts off in a river channel on the beach in the middle of the day 2.30pm at about the hottest time of the day. Good idea shore line activities!
As we walked on the beach I heard a couple of triathletes ask a marshal were the start was” I don’t know, over there somewhere” great I thought, he’s obviously been well informed.
The tide was a neap tide so therefore high tide was very low, but as it came in slightly the surf dropped off to about a foot which wasn’t that bad but the officials decided it was too risky to allow us to swim to the buoy so they dropped another buoy further in making the swim shorter, I still had no idea what to expect so I started at the back.

This time I managed a warm up in the sea and I was quite surprised how warm the water was mind you it was a scorcher of a day.

At the start we were standing in water up to our waist’s so we were all moved forward, making the swim even shorter can you see where I’m going with this a 500m swim had quickly turned into about 400m maybe a bit less.

As we began I tried to stay in the channel as it’s the fastest place but I ended up weaving in and out of a couple of fishing boats, I over took everyone who was breast stroking and I felt quite comfortable as I sighted the buoy all was going well as I turned for the buoy where I encountered very little choppy water.

I have to explain this so bare with me!
As the water runs along the break water we were using this current to propel us along then as we turned we used the tide to help push us in towards the beach, so the sea moved in a clockwise direction across the beach back towards the channel and where they collided caused a rip, which if you turned too early you’d be caught in!
Which is exactly what I did and after 30 odd strokes of going nowhere I hoofed it in towards shore as I got closer I could feel the surges of the waves I did try to body surf un successfully. When I could I put my foot down and I was about waist deep. I was then fighting the cross current of the tide rushing across the beach which was very strong and pushing me the wrong way, but I hit the beach and began to run but my legs had turned to jelly fighting the cross currant so running up the 200m stretch of beach on an incline wasn’t very nice and as I entered T1 Jason ran past fresh as you like!

Before we even started they were annocing over the tannoy that they would prefer us to have our race numbers front and back on our clothing but they weren’t stopping anyone from using race belts but they were really emphasizing numbers front and back, so that’s what I did.

T1…….. Well I fluffed it put my top on back to front tore my back , yet front number off as I put it on, balls I thought and carried on as my number was on my back I’d turn it round later but there was no race official in transition to enforce any of the other rules which were being broken, as I got to the mounting area I clipped in pushed off and…….nothing my flipping chain had come off, so off I got sorted it out and started again as all the breast strokers cycled past me, up a small nip.
As we got to the top we then had a foot down rule which meant we had to stop and put our foot down and be told by the marshal that we could then go, Its pants I know but I understand as it was for H & S reasons plus, there was quite a lot of traffic during this time in Bude, again stupid time to do a triathlon in the middle of the flipping afternoon.
The 3rd foot down came out of nowhere and I was in the wrong gear as now the oldies began to pass me who started in the second wave 5minutes after us youngons! But my legs were just dead and I struggled to turn the wheels nearly fell off but didn’t!

Chatting To Jason before hand about just how hot it was and that I didn’t think the cycle would be to bad as it was quite windy and that it wouldn’t be too hot, Oh no he said it’s going to be very hot on the bike, I thought it wouldn’t be too bad but of my god he was soooo right it was flipping roasting!
The first 6miles are undulating, but undulating up hill if that makes sense, as I came to short hill at 6miles there was about 20 blokes in front of me, I though I’ve got all this lot, but my legs failed on me, still wouldn’t go round, one chap was pushing his bike up the hill someone had collapsed at the top and spread eagle on a grass verge puffing and panting, and then it was down hill for 2miles or so before it began undulating again myself and No 703 were scissoring, and he pulled away from at about 9miles.
I was watching my distance counter and could tell that the cycle finish was coming as oh no another foot down, with a half mile of flat unable to clip in I just kept pushing (spinning) into T2 which went well for me but not Mr Brooks who managed to cycle in shoes undone, jumped off into a fast sprint turned and ran back to rack his bike……..but he couldn’t find his shoe’s, so he franticly began looking, lifting up wetsuits and towels before he realised that he racked up in the wrong position…Doh! But he did find them and then carried on the run which took us along a cannel, while some people were jumping in to cool down.
Mr Brooks was trying to over take someone here and called out “coming by on your right” and the runner didn’t budge so he called out again he still didn’t move so Brooksy over took him on the grass verge and as he did he saw that he was wearing an MP3 player a bit further on and there were people who were running without there top’s on!
Why were they not disqualified? I have no idea.
The drinks stop was at the base of the only hill on the run which wasn’t massive but it put bit of a fight as there was no breeze or seemingly no moving air and the sun just kept beating down.
I was glad to reach the top and had a fast hill over taking a few including No 703…Ha got you I thought as I shot past him, down hill across a main road with only two marshals hmmm…back into Bude. I pushed on, and my dodgy right foot, held up! Whoooo! (The kertinkering that I’ve been doing is working….. touch wood).
I over took a few more before the finish yet I could feel my head beginning to boil so was glad to cross the finish line all I wanted was water, not my medal, not yet water I said to the bird who gave me my medal but she ran off to give someone else a medal, I was having a humour failure and began to flap at the same time where’s the water I said nobody answered, not even the spectators, again I asked, no answer again I said where’s the water and luckily someone who’d finished gave me some of there’s so thank you to him! So where was the water I hear you all ask well it was at the flipping end of transition so I had to walk a 100+m to get water to drink………Very, very crap! I was not impressed shore line activities!

So Now I’m going to moan a bit more!
A 2.30pm start very silly especially as there was a car boot going on which started at 2pm, bringing more traffic into Bude, well done with that! A neap tide? Surly in the 21st century they have tide tables in Bude, and could have found a different day to have done it on, they shortened the swim because they thought it was to dangerous, well swimming to the gear pole and back off Penzance we encounter more choppy water than this tri, no race official in transition to control the athletes who were taking there bikes before putting on there helmets, people running without top’s, running with MP3 players, people running without race numbers, no water at the finish, there were 4 showers at the beach, on the beach which we could use along with everyone else on the flipping beach, but it was a choice of cold or freezing water from the only one which worked, we only had the beach’s toilet block to use so there were big ques before the start, now you all know I like my medal’s and that I want to be buried with them all when that day comes but the medal was cheap and crapy and had no date on it, and to top it all off we had to pay for parking inside the athletes parking area, but I did like the T-shirt.

£35 to enter god knows how much fuel, 150mile round trip for crappily thought out tri, on the shore line extreme sports website according to them on their website it say’s that it has a reputation as one of the best short course triathlons in the country its shame they can’t flipping run it very well! No we won’t be coming back shore line activities, you suck!

A long way to go for a crap day! But Jason Walker did us proud and came home 3rd in his age group, so well done to him!

Swim Cycle Run
Jason W 7.16 31.33 23.24
Nick B 8.14 36.52 27.06
Johno G 8.33 32.01 26.43
Moi 12.53 40.44 26.25